Siemens: Customer Excellence

The Siemens Customer Excellence Department wanted to create a new and improved eLearning course after receiving feedback from employees that the required training was not relevant to all employees and was too sales focused. We were also faced with three additional project challenges. First, the project sponsors required that all objectives previously delivered in a classroom workshop and the eLearning be incorporated into the new course. Second, there was confusion in the organization related to the names of the course and the name of the various initiatives within the Customer Excellence Department. Finally, evaluation metrics were that 90% or more of the users respond positively to course relevance and that Siemens Net Promoter Scores improve.

We used Storyline to create two online modules and a customized application. Overarching design principals used in the course were to stress the ‘voice of the customer’ using multiple voices representing the internal and external customers in the context of each of Siemens functional areas. We also used emoticons through the course to visually show customer emotional reactions to responses selected by the user.

The first module set the tone of Siemens customer service philosophy by incorporating a motivational video. The module focused on basic content about the various Customer Excellence initiatives and Siemens service principals. A customizable Customer Blueprint application was embedded in the course and made available on Siemens website. The application allowed Siemens employees to create a blueprint for how to communicate with their internal and external customers. The second module was all about applying the Customer Excellence skills and showcased five practice simulations. Each simulation included a moment of truth situation, behind the scene information, and resource characters from other departments.

The survey metrics for course relevance was exceeded and learners passed the mastery test with 80%. Subsequent to the release of the finished course, Siemens Canada requested a complete translation to French in conjunction with a Customer Excellence Workshop to address their need to improve low Net Promoter Scores. The result was a significant improvement in Net Promoter Scores within a matter of months after launching the course. For more information about using Storyline to make translation easier, see the blog post we wrote about it.